Page 31 of Treasured

A not-too-pleasant feeling comes over me. "Wh-what do you mean?"

"We could have prosecuted you and located Dexter that way. Made you talk."

"I don't know where he is! He set me up. How can you not realize that?"

"Shut up!" He waves the gun at me and I take a step back, bumping into the door of my car.

"I had a plan," he says, still waving the gun around.

Though the fog around us is thick, the fog in my brain clears and realization hits. He's nuts. I'm in the mountains with a crazy man with a gun.

Oh crap.

"If the government recovered the money, it would have to go back to those criminal clients of his. Like they deserved it."

I have no clue where this guy is going and I manage to bite my tongue and let him continue.

"Do you know who deserves it?" His voice is getting higher and he's chomping on that Dentyne like it's his lifeblood. "Me! I've worked for the government for twenty years. And what do I have to show for it? A goddamn ulcer and a measly pension."

"I don't know anything about the money," I whisper. Maybe by lowering my voice, I can lower the tension. I have to get out of this alive. If not, Muldoon will kill me and leave me in the woods, or worse. No one will find me. And Jake and Creed will assume I've run off again.

I can't let that happen. I can't let them believe I'd leave.

All I want, all I will ever want, is to be with them.

I just pray I get the chance to tell them.

CHAPTER18

Creed

"Faster!"Jake's voice echoes around the cab of the truck. He's sounding a bit frantic and I'm starting to wonder if he's actually able to sense Tracy's whereabouts or if he's just plain old losing his mind.

When she snuck out of town and left us high and dry with an engagement ring and a couple of broken hearts, Jake took it hard. Real hard. We both did, but he's the soft-hearted one of us and he went into a major tailspin. I don't know how many times I found him looking online trying to find Tracy. He never told me much, but he did mention that he'd found her listed as a paralegal at a big law firm. That was a couple years after she'd left. It seems like just about the time we were both getting back to an even keel, something would happen to derail us, mostly Jake. But when Jake is out of sorts, it affects me too.

I hate to think what will happen to him if Tracy has abandoned us again. I find it hard to believe that she would, not after the things we've said to each other and the bond we all share. But, I've been fooled before.

I blow out a breath. "I'm already going too fast for in town," I say. "Hold your horses."

"No," he practically screams. "She's scared. She needs us." He pounds his fist on the dashboard. "Go, go, go!"

He's like a maniac. I'm not sure whether to do what he wants or turn a hose on him, but since we're in the truck and it's possible he's correct, if acting like a lunatic, I keep driving. I press the pedal a little closer to the floor as we near the edge of town.

A car pulls in behind us. Damn it. I glance in the rear view mirror and see Sergeant Gary Wallace of the Eagle Canyon Sheriff's Department is staring at me, like he knows I can see him. Gary's a good guy, but he doesn't take kindly to speeders, especially in town where there are a lot of pedestrians. I can't blame him. I don't like it either and right now, I'm in violation.

Gary gestures with his hand for me to slow down. I nod to acknowledge his order but don't change speed. I'm torn between the lawman behind me and my brother next to me. And my own desperation to find Tracy.

Well, if Tracy is in trouble, having a cop along is probably a good idea.

As soon as we pass the city limit, I floor it. Gary shakes his head like he's extremely disappointed in me, then turns on his lights and siren and chases us out of town.

* * *

Tracy

Great. I'm dealing with a lunatic. Maybe I could have reasoned with him if he'd been rational, but based on the way Agent Muldoon is acting and the crazed look in his eyes, I'm in way over my head here.

But if I want to get back to Jake and Creed, I need to outwit this nitwit.

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